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Articles on South African universities

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South African academics are extremely worried about President Jacob Zuma’s axing of the finance minister. Reuters/Stefanie Loos

Academics in South Africa voice their dismay at Zuma’s actions

Academics from several South African universities say that in the current world economy decisions about any country’s finance minister cannot be made “lightly or capriciously”.
Tertiary institutions in South Africa, like the University of Cape Town (pictured here), are in a state of flux and change. Shutterstock

How academic staff development can contribute to changing universities

South Africa’s universities are in a state of upheaval. Academic developers must rethink their own purpose and how they work with academics in this environment to foster positive change.
University of Johannesburg students summarise their goal in a hashtag. The question is, what happens next? Kim Ludbrook/EPA

Student protesters must move beyond hashtags to real change

Student protests in South Africa saw triumph for the hashtag and success for the slogan. What lies beyond this as students push for genuine change in universities?
A young man wearing an African National Congress shirt joins in student protests in South Africa. Party politics and student politics shouldn’t mix. Reuters/Sydney Seshibedi

Why student leaders should be elected on merit, not party affiliation

It’s time to change how student representatives are elected at South Africa’s universities. The existing process gives far too much space and power to political parties.
Producing brilliant graduates is one thing – developing and nurturing those who want to remain in academia is quite another. Jason Reed/Reuters

Universities must rethink how they retain and nurture young academics

Universities in South Africa have tried to “grow their own timber” in a bid to diversify staff bodies. These programs haven’t been wildly successful. Why, and what can be done differently?
Some South African universities said they felt sufficiently threatened to obtain interdicts against protesting students. Kim Ludbrook/EPA

Explainer: the role of court interdicts in managing protests

Universities were widely criticised for turning to the courts during a series of student protests in South Africa. So why did they do it, and did the interdict process work?
Understanding the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis has won a South African molecular biologist international recognition. Shutterstock

Is South Africa’s research prowess sustainable?

Funding for South African higher education is inadequate considering past inequalities. Even more alarming is the fact that plans for research development and innovation in science remain elusive.
Thousands of students from the University of the Witwatersrand demonstrate during protests against fee increases which have spread to other major universities in the country. EPA/Kim Ludbrook

Q&A: Young scientists say wealth tax could aid tertiary funding troubles

Innovative new forms of funding must be pursued to address the higher education challenges in South Africa.
The fight for lower or no university fees should be taken beyond campuses to places where South Africa’s financial elite rule. Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters

Only pressure on South Africa’s elites can ease university fee stress

The next step in South African students’ fight against high university fees could be taken beyond campuses. The final battle will be fought at the country’s National Treasury and Reserve Bank.
A student at Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand sums up the motive for ongoing campus protests. Pontsho Pilane/The Daily Vox

Fee protests point to a much deeper problem at South African universities

South Africa’s higher education sector is dramatically underfunded. Polite conversations between vice-chancellors and the government have failed. It’s time the voices of student activists was heard.
Students at Rhodes University in Grahamstown protest against the institution’s minimum initial payment, a one-off fee to secure an academic place. Madeleine Chaput/Activate

A blanket university fee reduction benefits the wealthy – and slows change

Fee protests have shut down a number of South African university campuses. The question is, how should universities balance fee increases with their other obligations?

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